Sounds to me like we may have the most physical core of linebackers in the NFL.
Now if Glazer can get #90 out there as well....that would be great.

Quote:

As we pointed out last month, Texans linebacker Brian Cushing has been spending part of the offseason pushing and hugging and sweating on the likes of Jay Glazer, Chuck Liddell, and Randy Couture.

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports that one of Cushing's defensive teammates will be joining the effort.

Glazer says that Ryans, who recently signed a $48 million contract with $21 million guaranteed, is on his way. Glazer also has targeted a third Houston defender for the program.

"There's another Texan I'd love to get out here, Mario Williams," Glazer told McClain. "He's got as much talent as anybody in the NFL. He's so naturally gifted that I know this workout regime would help him. If Mario came here, he'd push himself to levels he doesn't know he has."

More and more players are turning to Glazer for offseason training. "We preach controlled violence," Glazer said. "There's a lot of hand fighting, chopping. If you know what you're doing, your forearms can be like blades. We teach where the nerves are, how you can chop somebody, find the nerve and hyperextend an elbow."

Why are we suddenly reminded of the scenes in The Longest Yard when the players learn about the potential benefits of plaster casts and brass knuckles?

We haven't been told anything of Mario's shoulder situation. Without a solid shoulder status, such training may not be effective......and, worse yet, potentially harmful. Besides that, I like the concept.

Awesome, I think this training translates so well for defensive football players. Particularly Mario at DE, this would be huge. Not only would he be better of not letting LT's get their hands on him, but when their hands/arms get 'slapped' out of the way it's going to hurt. Think about 4 quarters of a stronger more physical Mario Williams with higher stamina hitting you, your arm, etc out of the way. If nothing else happens, what this type of training does is refine your instincts and reaction time. Super good for the front 7!

Remember when Cushing sacked a QB in the end zone? I can't remember who the QB was.

Cushing wrapped him up, then Cushing used a leg to reach around and sweep the QB's legs out from underneath him. It secured the QB to the point that he couldn't throw the ball. It nailed the door shut and got him the sack. With emphasis added onto it.

That was, essentially, a type of Judo throw you'll see guys use in MMA fights.

I have no doubt that it was his MMA training that led him to do that sort of move.

I am loving this. I might be getting ahead of myself, but Cushing just might be the best draft pick we have ever had if he continues to influence our guys in this direction. I can't see anything but good (except for injuries of course) coming from training like this. It can help our guys get quicker, stronger, and better able to beat the crap out of the opposing team. Say goodbye to the "finesse" label.

Thank GAWD!! Maybe we'll finally see a mean steak that we have been lacking!! I hope PM is sitting in his ivory castle thinking "OH SHIT" I'm in bigtime trouble now!! Put the FEAR in every O we play this year!!

Guys. Let's not get too carried away with this. There are benefits to doing lots of MMA work, but there are also downsides. We shouldn't be too quick to assume that this is some incredible workout that just blows away traditional workouts.

Here are some examples:

Leg strength is probably the biggest one. MMA training can potentially give you foot quickness, but at the cost of leg strength and power. How many MMA fighters have you seen with football player legs?

Cardio. The kind of cardio you get in MMA is not the same kind you use in football, necessarily. In wrestling, you're working a combination of fast and slow twitch fibers, and there is lots of creatine/aerobic phase muscle use. In football, it's almost completely fast twitch and ATP phase muscle use. So while MMA can certainly improve cardiovascular endurance specifically, the kind of muscle endurance it gives is not necessarily the kind football players want or need.

Upper body strength. MMA can definitely give you quickness and power in your arms, but that can come at the expense of strength. Especially for top-tier athletes like Cushing, Meco, Williams, you just can't gain a ton of quickness without losing strength. A lot of the upper body bulk and sheer force you need in the NFL, esp. at DE and MLB for powering through blocks or making tackles, is just extra unneeded bulk in MMA.

So those are just some things off the top of my head. I'm not saying this training is bad, by any means. I'm just saying we shouldn't be so quick to assume it is way better than any other training they could be doing, or that it doesn't have strong disadvantages as well as advantages.

You've got some good points there. But the key is that they're not training to be MMA fighters so I doubt they're going through the full regimen a normal "trainee" would. They're football players that are training in certain MMA techniques that can be of use or beneficial to them on the field. They're not going to detract from any strengths they need to "fit" the MMA style just add/change in positive ways that helps on the field. That's at least my assumption/hope!

I am loving this. I might be getting ahead of myself, but Cushing just might be the best draft pick we have ever had if he continues to influence our guys in this direction. I can't see anything but good (except for injuries of course) coming from training like this. It can help our guys get quicker, stronger, and better able to beat the crap out of the opposing team. Say goodbye to the "finesse" label.

I like your thinking, but Cush has a loooooong way to go if he's to take the 'best draft pick' title from AJ.

AJ is light years ahead of anyone else on this team.

__________________"Football is only a diversion." ~ Houston Texans, Inc.